British intelligence: Minsk may bear burden of Wagner Group’s funding

August 13, BPN. The Belarusian authorities may be “the second most plausible paymasters,” should Russia cut funding to Wagner Group, the British defense ministry has said on X.

“The sizeable force would be a significant and potentially unwelcome drain on modest Belarusian resources,” it noted.

In late June, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin called for an armed rebellion to oust the Russian defense minister, but later backed down after reaching agreements with Belarusian ruler Alaksandr Łukašenka.

Wagner fighters have been regularly arriving in Belarus since mid-July. Their numbers are estimated to be between 3,500 and 5,000.

Belarusian defense ministry announced that it signed a road map with mercenaries to learn from their experience.

The Baltic States and Poland are stepping up border security, citing threats associated with the presence of Wagner fighters in Belarus.